We Don't Eat
by Queequg471
Summary: I remember the things my mother wrote. We don’t eat until your father’s at the table..." Quinn doesn’t want the baby; can Puck convince her to let the baby stay in the Glee family?


Quinn Fabray wasn't the smartest girl in school. She knew this (being a Cheerio didn't exactly mean your IQ was legendary). As a result, Quinn Fabray had made a lot of bad choices. Case in point, she though, rubbing her stomach. She was more than seven months along now. In less than two months, her daughter would be here. In less than two months, Quinn Fabray would meet her daughter for the first time. And in less than two months, Quinn Fabray would say goodbye to her daughter forever.

She wasn't being selfish. She had considered keeping her baby. She had spent many long nights deep in thought for the right thing to do for her daughter. Puck wanted to keep it, she knew. From the moment he found out she was pregnant, he wanted to be there. Quinn, however, still wished fervently for this to all be a mistake, a bad dream, or at least for the baby she was carrying to be Finn's. She had blamed Puck for all this, later admitting to herself that it wasn't him. She had been tipsy on wine coolers, yes, but she knew perfectly well what she was doing. Puck wanted her, and she had been feeling Finn pull away from her. It was her decision, her fault, yet she had been blaming Puck for so long.

She just couldn't deal with this. Without the Glee club, she would have been on the streets months ago. Right now, she was staying with the Abrams. Artie's family was kind and warm, and they had offered to let her stay as long as she needed. It made a knot form in her stomach every time she looked at their family. Artie's parents were everything she wished her parents were. She hadn't heard a word from them since they had kicked her out months ago. Sometimes she still couldn't believe that they were so able to block her completely out of their lives. She wanted their acceptance more than anything, but it didn't seem she'd ever have it.

So as Quinn sat on a bench at Glee rehearsal, rubbing her stomach, lost in thought, she almost didn't see Puck approaching. As she took in his form in front of her, Quinn bit back a groan, anticipating the usual speech. I want to help, I want to raise this baby with you, and I want to be with you. Did he not understand that she just couldn't handle anything more?

However, instead of his usual pleading face, Puck's face was set with resolve. He sat beside her, and silence reigned until the glee members had filtered out and it was just Puck and Quinn in the choir room.

Puck cleared his throat. "So…have you decided? I mean, what you're going to do about…"

Puck gestured to Quinn's midsection. Her hand stilled, but stayed on her abdomen. Quinn sighed wearily.

"Yes, Puck. You know as well as I do that we are not fit to be her parents. We're in _high school_. She deserves better parents then we can be."

Puck gave a sharp nod. "So you're not even going to try, then. You're just giving up."

Quinn's head snapped around to look at him. "I'm doing this _for_ her, Puck. She deserves a house with two parents, who are married and have jobs and who can give her everything she needs."

"But _I _can give her what she needs, Quinn. We both can." His voice held blind hope and it made Quinn turn away, unable to look at what she was doing to him.

"It's done, Puck. I'm sorry. I've already met with the adoptive parents." Quinn stood and began to walk away, but Puck grabbed her hand before she could.

"Are you going to put my name on the birth certificate as her father, before you…give her away?"

Quinn's brow furrowed in confusion. "Yes, you're the father. Why?"

Puck sighed, shoulders slumped. It was as if he had done something he knew she wouldn't like.

"If you don't want her, I do."

"What do you mean?"

Puck stood up, looking directly down at Quinn. "I'm her father. You have to put my name on the birth certificate, and if she's going to be given up for adoption, I have to give up my parental rights. And I can't do that, Quinn. If you don't want her, then I want to take custody."

Quinn's jaw dropped. Shock didn't even come close to what she was feeling at this moment.

"Puck…you can't…you have school and football and…were you just planning on leaving her home during the day to fend for herself?"

Puck shook his head, never breaking eye contact. "My mom will watch her most days when I'm at school, and one of my neighbors can watch her the rest of the time. I've already talked to Ms. P., she says my credits are enough that I only have to take classes for half the day, so I can get a job for the other half to help provide for her." He sighed, looking extremely sad. "I know you don't want this, Quinn. I know you don't want her. But please, _please_, let me have this."


End file.
